Texte grec :
| [6,87] Τοιαῦτα λέγοντος τοῦ Μενηνίου πολλαὶ
καὶ ποικίλαι παρ´ ὅλην ἐγίγνοντο τὴν δημηγορίαν ἐκ
τῶν παρόντων φωναί. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τελευτῶν τοῦ λόγου
πρὸς ὀλοφυρμοὺς ἐτράπετο καὶ τὰς μελλούσας καθέξειν
συμφορὰς τούς τε ὑπομένοντας ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ τοὺς
ἀπελαυνομένους καὶ τὰς ἀμφοῖν ἀνεκλαύσατο τύχας,
δάκρυά θ´ ἁπάντων ἐξεχεῖτο καὶ μιᾷ βοῇ συμφρονήσαντες
ἀνεβόησαν ἀπάγειν σφᾶς εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ μὴ
τρίβειν τὸν χρόνον· ὀλίγου τε πάνυ ἐδέησαν ἀπιέναι
διὰ τάχους ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἅπαντα τὰ πράγματα τοῖς
πρεσβευταῖς ἐπιτρέψαντες καὶ μηδὲν ἄλλο τῶν εἰς
ἀσφάλειαν πραγματευσάμενοι, εἰ μὴ παρελθὼν ὁ Βροῦτος
ἐπέσχε τὰς ὁρμὰς αὐτῶν τὰ μὲν ἄλλα καλῶς ἔχειν
τῷ δήμῳ λέγων, ὅσα ἡ βουλὴ ὑπισχνεῖτο, καὶ πολλὴν
αὐτῇ τῶν συγχωρηθέντων χάριν ἔχειν ἀξιῶν· δεδοικέναι
μέντοι τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον φάσκων καὶ τοὺς
αὖθίς ποτε τυραννικοὺς ἄνδρας ἐπιχειρήσοντας εἰ τύχοι,
περὶ τῶν γεγονότων τῷ δήμῳ μνησικακεῖν. μίαν δ´
εἶναι πᾶσι τοῖς δεδοικόσι τοὺς κρείττονας μόνην ἀσφάλειαν
ταύτην, εἰ γένοιτο αὐτοῖς φανερόν, ὅτι τοῖς βουλομένοις
αὐτοὺς ἀδικεῖν οὐχ ὑπάρχει δύναμις· ἕως δ´
ἂν παρῇ τὸ δύνασθαι τὰ πονηρὰ δρᾶν, οὐκ ἐλλείψειν
τοῖς πονηροῖς τὸ βούλεσθαι. ταύτης οὖν εἰ τύχοιεν
τῆς ἀσφαλείας, οὐθὲν αὐτοῖς ἔτι δεήσειν. ὑποτυχόντος
δὲ τοῦ Μενηνίου καὶ κελεύσαντος λέγειν τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, ἧς
ἔτι τὸν δῆμον οἴεται δεῖσθαι, Συγχωρήσατε,
φησίν, ἡμῖν ἄρχοντας ἀποδεικνύναι καθ´ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν
ἐξ ἡμῶν ὁσουσδήτινας, οἵτινες ἄλλου μὲν οὐδενὸς ἔσονται
κύριοι, τοῖς δ´ ἀδικουμένοις ἢ κατισχυομένοις
τῶν δημοτῶν βοηθήσουσι καὶ οὐ περιόψονται
τῶν δικαίων ἀποστερούμενον οὐθένα· τοῦτο ὑμᾶς
ἀντιβολοῦμεν καὶ δεόμεθα πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις οἷς δεδώκατε,
εἰ μὴ λόγος, ἀλλ´ ἔργον εἰσὶν αἱ διαλλαγαί, δοῦναι καὶ χαρίσασθαι.
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Traduction française :
| [6,87] While Menenius was thus speaking, many and various were the cries uttered by
the audience (p115) throughout his whole speech. But when at the close of it he had
recourse to lamentations, and enumerating the calamities that would befall both
those who remained in the city and those who were driven out of it, bewailed the
misfortunes of both, tears flowed from the eyes of all and they cried out to him with
one mind and voice to lead them back to the city without waste of time. And they
came very near quitting the assembly that moment and entrusting all their afters to
the envoys without settling anything else relating to their security. But Brutus,
coming forward, restrained their eagerness, saying that, while in general the promises
made by the senate were advantageous to the people and he thought it very proper
that the latter should feel very grateful to them for those concessions, he nevertheless
feared the time to come and the tyrannical men who might one day if occasion
offered, again attempt to make the people feel their resentment for what they had
done. There was one safeguard only, he said, any who were afraid of their superiors,
and that was for them to be convinced that those who desired to injure them had not
the power to do so; for as long as there was the power to do evil, evil men would never
lack the will. If, therefore, the plebeians could obtain this safeguard, they would need
nothing more. And Menenius, having replied and asked him to name the safeguard
he thought the people still needed, he said: "Give us leave to choose out of our own
body every year a certain number of (p117) magistrates who shall be invested with no
other power than to relieve those plebeians to whom any injury or violence is offered,
and to permit none of them to be deprived of their rights. This favour we entreat and
beg you to add to those you have already granted us, if our accommodation is not one
in word only, but a reality."
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